Nested function ring resonator

• US 20050058396A1
• Filed: 09/15/2003
• Published: 03/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Pirelli & C SPA
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Pirelli & C SPA
• Inventors: Tormen, Maurizio, Haus, Hermann A., Haus, Eleanor L.
• Application Number:
  US10/663,544
• Publication Number:
  US 20050058396A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/39
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2006/12109 Filter
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/12004 Combinations of two or more optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/12007 forming wavelength selective elements, e.g. multiplexer, demultiplexer
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/0147 based on thermo-optic effects G02F1/132 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/212 Mach-Zehnder type
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/3132 of directional coupler type
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/16 series; tandem
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/15 involving resonance effects, e.g. resonantly enhanced interaction
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/20 Intrinsic phase difference, i.e. optical bias, of an optical modulator; Methods for the pre-set thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/58 Multi-wavelength, e.g. operation of the device at a plurality of wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/1032 Coupling to elements comprising an optical axis that is not aligned with the optical axis of the active region
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/142 which comprises an additional resonator
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/4087 emitting more than one wavelength

Abstract

An optical filter includes at least one ring resonator that receives as input an optical signal having a plurality of channels from an input optical source. At least one Mach-Zehnder module is nested in the at least one ring resonator. The at least one Mach-Zehnder module and the at least one ring resonator filter at least one selective channel from the optical signal.

Claims

1. An optical filter comprising:

at least one ring resonator that is apt to receive as input an optical signal having a plurality of channels from an input optical source; and

at least one unbalanced Mach-Zehnder module nested in said at least one ring resonator, wherein said at least one unbalanced Mach-Zehnder module and said at least one ring resonator are apt to filter at least one selective channel from said optical signal.

2. The optical filter of claim 1, wherein said at least one unbalanced Mach-Zehnder module comprises an absorber.

3. The optical filter of claim 1, wherein said at least one ring resonator comprises two or more ring resonators.

4. The optical filter of claim 3, wherein said at least one unbalanced Mach-Zehnder module comprises three unbalanced MZI structures.

5. The optical filter of claim 3, wherein said at least one unbalanced Mach-Zehnder module comprises two unbalanced MZI structures.

6. The optical filter of claim 1, wherein said at least one ring resonator comprises a SiO₂:

Ge waveguide and SiO₂ cladding.

7. The optical filter of claim 1, wherein said at least one ring resonator comprises a SiON waveguide and SiO₂ cladding.

8. The optical filter of claim 1, wherein said at least one ring resonator comprises a Si₃N₄ waveguide and SiO₂ cladding.

9. The optical filter of claim 1 further comprising a tuning mechanism for tuning the properties of said optical filter.

10. The optical filter of claim 9, wherein said tuning mechanism tunes the properties of the optical filter thermally.

11. The optical filter of claim 9, wherein said tuning mechanism tunes the properties of the optical filter using electro-optic effect.

12. The optical filter of claim 1, wherein said optical filter is implemented in a fiber optical system.

13. The optical filter of claim 1, wherein said optical filter is implemented in a Planar Lightwave Circuit.

14. The optical filter of claim 1, wherein said at least one unbalanced MZI module is implemented along one arm of said least one ring resonator.

15. The optical filter of claim 1, wherein said at least one unbalanced MZI module is implemented along two arms of said least one ring resonator.

16. An optical filter comprising:

a plurality of filter arrangements including at least one ring resonator that is apt to receive as input an optical signal having a plurality of channels from an input optical source; and

at least one unbalanced Mach-Zehnder module nested in said at least one ring resonator, wherein said at least one unbalanced Mach-Zehnder module and said at least one ring resonator are apt to filter at least one selective channel from said optical signal.

17. The optical filter of claim 16, wherein said at one ring resonator comprises two or more ring resonators.

18. The optical filter of claim 17, wherein said at least one unbalanced Mach-Zehnder module comprises three unbalanced MZI structures.

19. The optical filter of claim 17, wherein said at least one unbalanced Mach-Zehnder module comprises two unbalanced MZI structures.

20. The optical filter of claim 16, wherein said at least one ring resonator comprises a SiO₂:

Ge waveguide and SiO₂ cladding.

21. The optical filter of claim 16, wherein said at least one ring resonator comprises a SiON waveguide and SiO₂ cladding.

22. The optical filter of claim 16, wherein said at least one ring resonator comprises a Si₃N₄ waveguide and SiO₂ cladding.

23. The optical filter of claim 16 further comprising a tuning mechanism for tuning the properties of said optical filter.

24. The optical filter of claim 23, wherein said tuning mechanism tunes the properties of the optical filter thermally.

25. The optical filter of claim 23, wherein said tuning mechanism tunes the properties of the optical filter using electro-optic effect.

26. The optical filter of claim 16, wherein said optical filter is implemented in a fiber optical system.

27. The optical filter of claim 16, wherein said optical filter is implemented in a Planar Lightwave Circuit.

28. The optical filter of claim 16, wherein said at least one unbalanced MZI module is implemented along one arm of said least one ring resonator.

29. The optical filter of claim 16, wherein said at least one unbalanced MZI module is implemented along two arms of said least one ring resonator.

30. A method of optical filtering, said method comprising:

providing at least one ring resonator that receives as input an optical signal having a plurality of channels from an input optical source; and

providing at least one unbalanced Mach-Zehnder module nested in said at least one ring resonator, wherein said at least one unbalanced Mach-Zehnder module and said at least one ring resonator filtering at least one selective channel from said optical signal.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said at least one unbalanced Mach-Zehnder module comprises an absorber.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein said at one ring resonator comprises two or more ring resonators.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said at least one unbalanced Mach-Zehnder module comprises three unbalanced MZI structures.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein said at least one unbalanced Mach-Zehnder module comprises two unbalanced MZI structures.

35. The method of claim 30, wherein said at least one ring resonator comprises a SiO₂:

Ge waveguide and SiO₂ cladding.

36. The method of claim 30, wherein said at least one ring resonator comprises a SiON waveguide and SiO₂ cladding.

37. The method of claim 30, wherein said at least one ring resonator comprises a Si₃N₄ waveguide and SiO₂ cladding.

38. The method of claim 30 further comprising tuning the properties of said optical filter.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein said tuning the properties of the optical filter is done thermally.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein said tuning the properties of the optical filter is done using electro-optic effect.

41. The method of claim 30, wherein said optical filter is implemented in a fiber optical system.

42. The method of claim 30, wherein said optical filter is implemented in a Planar Lightwave Circuit.

43. The method of claim 30, wherein said at least one unbalanced MZI module is implemented along one arm of said least one ring resonator.

44. The method of claim 30, wherein said at least one unbalanced MZI module is implemented along two arms of said least one ring resonator.

45. A method of optical filtering, said method comprising:

providing a plurality of filter arrangement including at least one ring resonator that receives as input an optical signal having a plurality of channels from an input optical source; and

providing at least one unbalanced Mach-Zehnder module nested in said at least one ring resonator, wherein said at least one unbalanced Mach-Zehnder module and said at least one ring resonator filtering at least one selective channel from said optical signal.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein said at one ring resonator comprises two or more ring resonators.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein said at least one unbalanced Mach-Zehnder module comprises three unbalanced MZI structures.

48. The method of claim 46, wherein said at least one unbalanced Mach-Zehnder module comprises two unbalanced MZI structures.

49. The method of claim 45, wherein said at least one ring resonator comprises a SiO₂:

Ge waveguide and SiO₂ cladding.

50. The method of claim 45, wherein said at least one ring resonator comprises a SiON waveguide and SiO₂ cladding.

51. The method of claim 45, wherein said at least one ring resonator comprises a Si₃N₄ waveguide and SiO₂ cladding.

52. The method of claim 45 further comprising tuning the properties of said optical filter.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein said tuning the properties of the optical filter is done thermally.

54. The method of claim 52, wherein said tuning the properties of the optical filter is done using electro-optic effect.

55. The method of claim 45, wherein said optical filter is implemented in a fiber optical system.

56. The method of claim 45, wherein said optical filter is implemented in a Planar Lightwave Circuit.

57. The method of claim 45, wherein said at least one unbalanced MZI module is implemented along one arm of said least one ring resonator.

58. The method of claim 45, wherein said at least one unbalanced MZI module is implemented along two arms of said least one ring resonator.